Poet Master

His jockey Sam James has been the constant throughout this journey. Together, they have an extraordinary record: 5 wins from 10 races, meaning James has won on Poet Master half the time they've partnered. That's a remarkable number in a sport where even excellent horses win far less frequently. The relationship clearly matters — James knows how to get the best out of this horse, and his comments after The Curragh tell you why. He described Poet Master as still maturing, occasionally hard to settle, but thriving when the pace is strong enough to let him race naturally at the front. "I think there is more to come," James said — and he would know better than most.

Since that Curragh victory, though, Poet Master has gone six races without winning, and the recent form reads: 7th, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, 2nd, 9th. He's been hitting the frame but not the top spot. Trainer K R Burke — who operates out of Coverham in North Yorkshire and has sent out an impressive 145 winners already this season — has a clear explanation for the dip. A run in heavy, holding ground earlier this year left the horse exhausted and that performance can essentially be ignored. Burke says he needs some cut in the ground, but not the deep, clinging kind. Get the conditions right and the horse looks different.

The plan is an ambitious one. A Listed race at Haydock on 10 May is next, followed potentially by a Group 3 at the same track on 31 May. Poet Master has tried the very top level three times without winning, but Burke believes he's physically stronger this year than last. If the ground behaves, this could be the season he proves it.